Final Make Nine 2019 Review and 2020 Reveal

This year I made the most progress on my #MakeNine2019 list to date, making 7 out of 9 makes! I'd made quite a bit of progress during my Mid-Year Review, so rather than repeat myself, I'll just talk about my end of year progress.

Makes Updates

• The Fulton Sweater- I was super in love with the Fulton Sweater in 2018, but I never ran across the right fabric for it and fell out of love with the pattern.
• An Andi Satterlund Pattern- Not only did I re-knit my Waters sweater for the Outfit Along, but I knit up the Julgren Sweater to wear for the holidays. 
• A Joji Pattern- I knit up the dreamy Spector sweater in my collection of Wichita Woolery yarn and also knit the Hipster Shawl for my work's Secret Santa gift exchange. 
• A Stephen West Pattern- I feel like I kind of cheated with this make. Initially, I thought I'd make a Vertices Unite shawl this year but, as 2019 came to an end, I decided to knit up the Windschief hat as a Christmas gift instead. 
• A Poison Girls Pattern- I participated in the #HoneyBopKal using yarn my husband gifted me from Maryland. It still doesn't have buttons, but I'm calling it finished.
• High Waisted Pants- I found that I need a lot more motivation to tackle a sewing project than I do a knitting project and I chickened out! I have fabric to make pants and some patterns, so I'm hoping to be braver in 2020.

Things I Learned

• Social Media Challenges and Make-a-longs are sometimes motivating.
• Setting broader goals seemed more achievable because it left room for me to change my mind or try out shiny new designer patterns.
• I have a lot of yarn/ fabric in my stash that I need to work from/ de-stash.
• I feel more confident in my knitting abilities than my sewing abilities right now.

And with that in mind, I present my #MakeNine2020 selection:

1: Arachne by Andi Satterlund- I purchased yarn to make a sweater and cardigan version of this pattern but didn't get to it before Halloween, so I intend to make at least one of them this year.
2: A Poison Girls Pattern- Sometimes I like to imagine myself as an Old Hollywood starlet and these patterns will get me one step closing in achieving it.
3: A Dragon Hoard Yarn Pattern- If you haven't checked out Dragon Hoard Yarn's patterns, you need to! I have 3 of her patterns in my Ravelry queue and am hoping to participate in her SpellmanKAL in 2020.
4. Zweig by Caitlin Hunter- I may be the only knitter who hasn't knit this sweater. I have yarn to make 2 versions of it in my stash.
5. Willamette Top by Hey June Handmade- This top looks like the type of blouse I would live in all Summer long.
6. Deer & Doe Myosotis Dress- I was reluctant to sew this dress when it was first released and became super popular, but now that everyone has made it and looks awesome in it, I want one too.
7. High Waist Pants (M 7726)- Since I didn't make high waisted pants in 2019, I'm hoping to make these in 2020.
8. Sipila by Caitlin Hunter- I purchased yarn to make this pattern when it was first released and need to make it up.
9. A Christmas Sweater- I really enjoyed making and wearing my Julgren in 2019 and am hoping to add to my festive wardrobe in 2020.

Are you participating in the Make Nine 2020 challenge? Let me know in the comments below.

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Last Minute Christmas Makes of 2019

When December comes around each year, I feel as if I'm magically transformed into a Christmas elf and can't stop crafting until December 25th. Sure, the crafting pressure can be stressful at times, but let's be honest, I don't really need an excuse to craft but I'll take it when I can!

Now that all of the gifts have been given, I can show what festive makes I made:

1. West Yorkshire Spinners Holly Berry Socks
First I'll start off with a gift that I made for myself. I knit up the West Yorkshire Spinners 2018 colorway, Holly Berry, using the OMG Heel Socks pattern by Megan Williams to add to my Christmas box of socks collection and finished weaving in the tails and blocking them on Christmas Eve. You can't get more festive than that! I love the fit of these socks and they were so comfy and warm to wear on Christmas Day!

2. The Hipster Shawl 
I wanted to give a handmade gift for my work's "Secret Santa" gift exchange and learned that my swap partner liked to wear scarves and the color black, so I searched Ravelry for a pattern that would meet the brief in the time allotted and landed on the Hipster Shawl Pattern by Joji Locatelli. I was able to pick up the yarn, Swan Island Sterling Collection Worsted, during a mini-road trip to The Knotty Lamb yarn shop. This was a fun, quick knit! I hope to make one for myself in the future.

3. Windscheif by Stephen West

I was requested to knit a stylish hat for my brother-in-law for the cold winter months and located some black Malabrigo Arroyo yarn in my stash. I decided to knit up the Windscheif by Stephen West so that I could also check another box on my #MakeNine2019 . My only problem now is that I'm not sure my husband wants to give up the hat. 

4. Simplicity 8613

Earlier this fall my husband accompanied me to Joann's during a sewing pattern sale (I know, I'm a lucky girl 😉) and he picked out Simplicity 8613 (A MimiGStyle featuring Norris raglan tee) for me to sew. With Christmas approaching, I finally motivated myself to sew this up. I used one of the husband's well-worn tee's as a reference and stitched up a size Medium with a View C body and View A sleeves. He loves it!

5. Tilly and the Buttons Margot Pajamas

That's right kids. I sewed up a Tilly and the Buttons pattern FOR MY HUSBAND! On Christmas Eve Eve, my husband commented that he wished he could open a present early, so I scurried up to my craft room and stitched up a pair of Margot Pajama's from the Love at First Stitch book that he could wear on Christmas Eve. The fabric I used is a Dear Stella cotton lawn print from their Winter Is Here collection called Dance of Dragons. They're the perfect pants to wear during his online Dungeons & Dragons games.

There you have it! Those are all of my festive makes of December 2019!

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